979. Russian River – Salvation Dark Ale (2012)
It’s a long holiday weekend and we’re finally getting some much-needed rain. My brother-in-law is in town, so we’ve been doing a lot of stuff with my wife’s family this weekend. However, everybody is out doing their own thing this afternoon, so I have time to pull this long, anticipated beer out of the beer cellar. I picked up this beer on a visit to Seattle in October 2012. Unfortunately, this was one of the...
840. Ninkasi Brewing – Sleigh’r Winter Ale
We’ve been in the midst of an ice storm this weekend, and now that it’s Monday it’s foggy and raining out. Either way, the winter weather has got us all in a funk. Therefore, I decided to open this beer, which my friend @Bettywriter sent to me as a Christmas gift a few weeks ago. I love it when she sends me stuff from the Pac-Northwest that I can’t get around here. Location: Poured into a large Perfect Pint...
831. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) – Abominable Winter Ale
There’s an ice storm outside and everything is coated in a thin layer of ice. On my way back from picking up dinner, I slid across the driveway and couldn’t even make it up to the garage. It’s a perfect night for staying in, having a beer, and watching the Saturday Night Live Christmas special. My friend @Bettywriter sent me this beer last winter, and I didn’t quite get around to drinking it, but it seems like...
727. Stillwater Artisanal Ales – As Follows Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Today was my last day of work at State Farm Insurance, so my coworkers took me out for a nice dinner at Epiphany Farms Restaurant. I have some tremendous co-workers, and it was great to get together with them tonight. Of course they know I’m a beer geek, and I haven’t had too many beers from this brewery, so I figured I’d start the evening with this one. Location: On tap and served in a short tulip style glass at...
689. Bell’s Brewery – Batch 10,000 Ale
It’s a really nice Saturday afternoon, and I am sitting down to enjoy this beer and watch House of Cards on Netflix. We had an open house this morning, and I hope it went well. When we got back, we did a little bit of packing out in the garage. I remember picking up this beer quite a while ago at the liquor store, because it was a special release. I’m not sure of the ABV, so I hope it was a big one and held up over time....
540. Brasserie Dubuisson – Scaldis Refermentée Amber Ale
I’ve recently discovered I have a heart condition and have had to cut back a little bit on my beer intake. Therefore, I’ve been trying to keep it to no more than one a day. If I can only have one, I’m going to go big, like this one. A few weeks ago I corresponded back and forth with @belgianexpert on Twitter, and found out Wendy was located in Chicago (only a little bit north of me). Little did I know, she really is...
523. Yazoo Brewing – SUE Imperial Smoked Porter
It’s a Saturday afternoon, and we spent the morning cleaning house. So, this afternoon I’m sitting here watching my Missouri Tigers play on ESPN, and cracking open this big beer, because they are playing like crap. This beer was given to me by my fellow Mizzou alum, and friend, Joe. The bottle has a January bottling date marked on it. So, I assume it’s about a year old. The bottlecap, the label, everything is black,...
492. Maritime Pacific Brewing Co. – Imperial Pale Ale
It’s just a relaxing evening at home, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to dig into the beer fridge and sample another beer. I’m still getting caught up on my reviews from my trip to Seattle, but I don’t want that to keep me from trying another beer. Location: Poured into a large tulip shaped pint glass from the bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 7.5% ABV, 235 Calories Appearance &...
412. Urban Chestnut Brewing Company – Wolpertinger
After a few beers at 4 Hands Brewing, and a couple more at the International Tap House (ITAP) in Soulard, Joe and I continued our St. Louis microbrewery tour by heading to Urban Chestnut Brewing Company. I finally got a chance to try this new brewery last summer and really enjoyed it. One of their signature beers I tried last time is their Winged Nut, which is made with milled chestnuts. This beer is what they refer to as their...
389. Samuel Adams / Weihenstephen – Infinium 2010
It’s New Year’s Eve and I’ve been looking for an excuse to crack open this beer I bought several months back. It’s the 2010 version of Infinium. If’ you’re not familiar with this beer, it’s a collaboration between Samuel Adams and Weihenstephen. Their goal was to create a really big, champaigne-like beer and still adhere to the Reinheitsgebot (the German purity law that says beer can only...
304. The Bruery – Mischief Belgian Style Ale
I’m hanging out at The Abbey Brewing Company in Miami Beach, Florida this afternoon. I’ve tried their Immaculate IPA and Father Theodore’s Stout, while having a nice conversation with their Brewmaster/President Raymond Rigazio. He had to leave, but I stuck around for a bit nursing my stout. Since it’s Easter/Passover this week, things were extremely slow at the bar. So, I got to know Carlos the bartender,...
293. Stone Brewing – Double Bastard Ale Draft
After everything that has been going on, I really needed a night out. Fortunately, I found out that a local distributor had picked up Stone Brewing and we would now be able to get it in our area. A local bar, Fat Jack’s, was having a “tap takeover” (like they did with Goose Island a couple months ago) with several Stone beers. I had several of their beers when a friend from San Diego shipped me a few last year,...
110. Pelican Brewery – The Guillotine Strong Ale Draft
I wanted to try as many local and interesting brews as I could while I was at the Oregon Brewers’ Festival Brewmasters’ Dinner – and after being less than pleased with my previous choice of the Spruce Budd beer from Fort George Brewery – I thought I’d ask my Cuisinternship Brewmaster mentor, Jamie Emmerson, what he might suggest. He mentioned that Pelican Brewery had a reputation locally for brewing very...
48. Stone / Firestone Walker / 21st Amendment – El Camino (Un) Real Black Ale
I was really looking forward to this one, as I have heard so much about all of the great breweries that collaborated on this beer. However, I was a bit nervous, since my friend from New York who sent me this (and several others) seemed most eager about getting my feedback on this one. Then, I read the label, which says, “Ale brewed with fennel seed, chia seed & pink peppercorns – with mission figs added.” the...
12. BJ’s Brewhouse McAllen, TX – Jeremiah Red Irish Strong Ale Draft
After enjoying the Pale Ale, I thought I’d try another beer down the list, so I went with the Jeremiah Red Irish Strong Ale. The menu says it’s “A silver medal winner in strong ales at the 1996 Great American Beer Festival. This Irish-style strong ale is brewed with a secret blend of five imported specialty malts. Not too hoppy in order to emphasize the complex malt flavor and fruity aroma.” Location: On tap...
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